David Sedaris's Sorta-Secret Side Career as a Speech Writer for High Schoolers

“Over the years I’ve met quite a few teenagers who participate in what is called ‘Forensics,’” he writes. “Students take published short stories and essays, edit them down to a predetermined length, and recite them competitively. To that end, as part of the ‘Etc.’ in this book’s subtitle, I have written six brief monologues that young people might deliver before a panel of judges. I believe these stories should be self-evident. They’re the pieces in which I am a woman, a father, and a sixteen-year-old girl with a fake British accent.”

I was introduced to Sedaris by the girl I had the biggest crush on in my entire life. She was sitting on the floor reading Naked during our forensics regionals. 

Interior of the Public Library of Cincinnati, 1874.

futurejournalismproject:

100 Great Nonfiction Books

One of my New Year’s resolutions isn’t necessarily to read more, but to read more books. Happily, the Electronic Typewriter’s put together a list to help get me started with categories ranging from science to memoir to politics to art and beyond.

pierrebennu:

Bookmobile circa 1950s.

Photo courtesy of the State Library of North Carolina.

Shakespeare & Company, Paris, France.

Patti Smith’s favorite books.

(Source: nevver)

Arm in Arm: A Collection of Connections, Endless Tales, Reiterations and Other Echolalia

By the end it becomes little more than bad jokes and a list of the author’s allergies.

Fictitious review of imaginary book I wrote.

“I think it’s a book about a haunted theme park and it stars a magical magic guy and he’s good and evil and he’s trying to get rid of the ghosts. And I think at the end, since it’s haunted by a ghost, he tried to make the park go on fire and it did. “

Inspiration.